11th May 2006, 9:33 PM
You just keep thinking that, but it's just not true... MS may be evil in a monopolistic way that any company in their position would be (such as Nintendo in the NES days for consoles), but they aren't truly evil like Sony is... there's no comparison.
It is true that often when PC games are translated to consoles they are simplified, since console games are generally simpler than PC ones, but MS has not given up on PC exclusive games, and nor has the rest of the industry. The PC gaming market may not be in the greatest shape (outside of the profits from WoW...), but it's far from dead, and MS isn't trying to kill it off. If anything, they're strengthening it -- look at things like how Shadowrun is on both PC and X360 and is intercompatible in online play... or Live Anywhere. That's not giving up on PC gaming... and as for simplification, they still have PC exclusives like Flight Simulator or Rise of Nations 2 for the ones that are truly meant for PC.
... I could go on (particularly by bringing up other PC developers -- it is definitely true that there are fewer PC games now than six or seven years ago and those games are in fewer genres. However, I could say that it's likely hit a low point and can't get much worse, and that Vista if it works could help improve that... and then even in genres where things have gotten worse, like PC (single player) RPGs, there are signs of hope -- Neverwinter Nights 2, Dragon Age, perhaps Fallout 3...
So no, MS isn't evil. And if PC gaming is not in as good shape as it was in six years ago, Microsoft is not responsible for that. That started before the Xbox came out and they only followed the trend, not made it; Knights of the Old Republic isn't a console-focused game because MS made the Xbox, it's console-focused because Bioware realized that console games sell better than PC one and they watned in on that money, even if it meant that they had to make a simplified title in comparison to their past games... and it worked for them. I wasn't fully satifisfied with the results, but it worked.
I'd love for MS do well in Japan and overthrow Sony, it would mean nothing but good for the industry... (Nintendo might be a more likely one there, but they're not really trying to win the console wars, they're trying to be different and attract a somewhat different market...)
It is true that often when PC games are translated to consoles they are simplified, since console games are generally simpler than PC ones, but MS has not given up on PC exclusive games, and nor has the rest of the industry. The PC gaming market may not be in the greatest shape (outside of the profits from WoW...), but it's far from dead, and MS isn't trying to kill it off. If anything, they're strengthening it -- look at things like how Shadowrun is on both PC and X360 and is intercompatible in online play... or Live Anywhere. That's not giving up on PC gaming... and as for simplification, they still have PC exclusives like Flight Simulator or Rise of Nations 2 for the ones that are truly meant for PC.
... I could go on (particularly by bringing up other PC developers -- it is definitely true that there are fewer PC games now than six or seven years ago and those games are in fewer genres. However, I could say that it's likely hit a low point and can't get much worse, and that Vista if it works could help improve that... and then even in genres where things have gotten worse, like PC (single player) RPGs, there are signs of hope -- Neverwinter Nights 2, Dragon Age, perhaps Fallout 3...
So no, MS isn't evil. And if PC gaming is not in as good shape as it was in six years ago, Microsoft is not responsible for that. That started before the Xbox came out and they only followed the trend, not made it; Knights of the Old Republic isn't a console-focused game because MS made the Xbox, it's console-focused because Bioware realized that console games sell better than PC one and they watned in on that money, even if it meant that they had to make a simplified title in comparison to their past games... and it worked for them. I wasn't fully satifisfied with the results, but it worked.
I'd love for MS do well in Japan and overthrow Sony, it would mean nothing but good for the industry... (Nintendo might be a more likely one there, but they're not really trying to win the console wars, they're trying to be different and attract a somewhat different market...)
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